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Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices you have to make—or the copious options that are before you?

If you answered Yes to the above question, you are not alone.

Do you know a very successful individual who is indecisive?

Likely not. As a rule, successful people are decisive.

If you are to realize your potential, you must be decisive and make the right decisions specific for you.

Our environment is continuously expanding our options and possibilities—requiring us to make even more decisions. Change is pervasive in all parts of our lives from personal, home, and family to work. Make no mistake: We cannot avoid that natural law.

In my past 18 years of assisting individuals and business to succeed, several have hired me to help them in the decision-making process. They had become stuck.

It was never my job to make decisions for them—I asked critical questions to help them filter through the layers of information and make their own informed decision.

For those of you who have avoided or delayed making a decision, that in itself is a decision.

I want to encourage everyone that no matter your situation, there is hope for all of us when it comes to us making the right decisions.

How do you make the right decision every time?

Simply be prepared and explicit about what you want. Confusion and indecision come from not being crystal clear about your desires and outcomes.

As the opening quote states—to be able to make a decision, you must know what you want. That requires that individuals and businesses take the time to identify what they want in every part of their life/business.

There are so many potential opportunities. I have witnessed people get caught up in the excitement of the moment, then develop serious regrets about their decision—after they have given it more thought and consideration.

Here are some strategies to consider.

• This question will get you thinking about the decision-making process: If nothing changed in your life or business in the next 5 years, would that be okay? If you answered No, you have some decisions to make.

• Context and guidelines should drive each of your decisions. Predetermine your guidelines before the time arrives to make critical decisions.

• Prioritize what is most important and non-negotiable in your life or business. You can have only one Number 1 value, not 10 or 20—as many people in your life would like you to have.

Before you make life decisions, determine your core motivating values. Then, compare the options you have in your life with your core values. From your various choices, which one, if any, aligns with your core values?

To help you clarify and prioritize your top values, I suggest you complete CRG’s Values Preference Indicator. This single strategy will significantly reduce any doubt related to your decisions.

My top 5 values include Independence, Challenge, Spirituality, Responsibility, and Variety. I always use my values as benchmarks when making decisions.

• Break down your life into its various components—and understand that they are interrelated and interdependent. Don’t try to lump everything together because that makes it nearly impossible to make a decision.

In My Source EXPERIENCE Journal™, I outline 12 possible areas of your life where you can predetermine your outcomes and goals.

• Over 90% of small businesses fail within 10 years, so you can see that the process of being decisive in business is just as important as being decisive in your personal life.

A prime example of decision-making in business is that many owners often can’t decide whether to keep or release a mediocre staff member. With my simple decision-making framework, your options become straightforward and easy.

1. Ask yourself these questions.
   • Is the person’s work performance acceptable?
     __ Yes __ No
     
   • If he or she were doing the job the same way a year from now, would that be okay?
     __ Yes __ No
     
     
2. If you answered No to both questions, here is one more question.
   • Can the person improve his or her performance?
     __ Yes __ No
     
3. If you answered No, you are faced with a single choice.
   • You must either replace the person or reduce your expectations and accept that individual as is.

• Opportunity and decisiveness meet the prepared mind. If you spend time in advance determining what you want in all areas of your life, your subsequent decision-making will reflect your predetermined path.
  
  
• Another suggestion is when you are faced with difficult decisions, project yourself into the future as if you have already made the decision.
  
  Pay attention to the way you feel and think as you image you have already made the decision. This is a far more powerful process than many people understand. Making the right decision means you must trust your intuition and feelings as much as the cognitive facts.
  
  
• There is an exception where you should delay making a decision—when you are in distress. Our emotions can play havoc with our ability to think concisely.
  
  A few years ago, a friend lost her husband to cancer. From the time of his hospitalization to his death was only 20 days. There was not much time to plan for the future.
  
  My wife and I counseled our friend not to make any major decisions immediately after her husband’s death, but she did not heed our advice.
  
  She sold her home and moved—and did not like her new place. That launched her into a cycle of ungrounded decisions. She sold and bought five homes in less than 4 years. In her frame of mind, understandably she was not thinking clearly.
  
  
• Finally, you will make the right decisions when you are confident about who you are and what you want. That means your self-worth levels will be high and you won’t need someone else’s approval to make a decision.

Take responsibility for your decisions.

I wrote My Source EXPERIENCE Journal™ to help people clarify their life’s vision. As part of the process with this journal, you can clarify what is important in your life. The following assessments will provide additional guidelines so you can confidently make the right decision every time.

• Personal Style Indicator
• Self-Worth Inventory
• Job Style Indicator
• Stress Indication and Health Planner
• Values Preference Indicator

How to Make The Right Decision (Almost) Every Time!

1. Yes, you can make the right decision (almost) every time!

2. Making the right decisions comes from being prepared and clear in all areas of your life. On a scale of 1 to 10, how clear are you in each of the areas of your life?

3. What areas can you spend time clarifying so your future decisions have context and guidelines?

4. We can all learn from our previous decisions. What happened when your decision was not the right one? What specifically do you need to consider to keep that sort of mistake from happening in the future?

5. With so many options, it is important to make values-based decisions, not just opportunity-driven decisions.

   • What are your top non-negotiable values?

If you have not yet confirmed them, complete the Values Preference Indicator (VPI) to determine your top priorities.

By the way, having 10 Number 1 priorities does not work. Making the right decision always requires you to choose one thing over something else.

In the VPI, we get you to identify your top 7 values and ask you to rank-order them from 1 to 7.

6. To establish clarity in all areas of your life, I suggest you complete My Source EXPERIENCE Journal™—to help you connect your life purpose and your vision.
   
   
7. In the end, only you can make decisions for you. Certainly, seek advice and feedback but only you can make the final decision. Sometimes, individuals seek too much feedback and get confused in the process. If this is the case in your life, back off and quietly reflect on your own choices.
   
   
8. Right decisions require confidence in yourself and your choices. Use the following CRG resources to assist you in this process.
   
   
   1. Personal Style Indicator
   2. Job Style Indicator
   3. Stress Indication and Health Planner
   4. Self-Worth Inventory
      
9. One reasonable exception to holding off making a decision is when a person is under distress and not thinking clearly, such as after the death of a family member or with another traumatic event. Take the time to recover. Then decide.
   
   
10. If you follow the above steps, you can experience the freedom that knowing that you know you made the right decision brings you.